Chapter 11

Daenerys

Daenerys Targaryen wed Khal Drogo with fear and barbaric splendor in a field beyond the walls of Pentos, for the Dothraki believed that all things of importance in a man’s life must be done beneath the open sky.

barbaric/bɑː'bærɪk/ adj. 半开化的;野蛮的 残忍的 原始的 粗野的;不知节制的

splendor/'splendə/ n. 光彩；显赫；壮丽

Drogo had called his khalasar to attend him and they had come, forty thousand Dothraki warriors and uncounted numbers of women, children, and slaves. Outside the city walls they camped with their vast herds, raising palaces of woven grass, eating everything in sight, and making the good folk of Pentos more anxious with every passing day.

“My fellow magisters; have doubled the size of the city guard,” Illyrio told them over platters of honey duck and orange snap peppers one night at the manse that had been Drogo’s. The khal had joined his khalasar, his estate given over to Daenerys and her brother until the wedding.

magister/mə'dʒistə/ n. 古罗马或中世纪的教师

manse/mæns/ n. 牧师住宅

khalasar 卡拉萨

“Best we get Princess Daenerys wedded quickly before they hand half the wealth of Pentos away to sellswords and bravos,” Ser Jorah Mormont jested. The exile had offered her brother his sword the night Dany had been sold to Khal Drogo; Viserys had accepted eagerly. Mormont had been their constant companion ever since.

sellsword佣兵

bravo /brɑː'vəʊ/ n. 喝彩；亡命徒 vt. 喝彩 int. 好极了

jest /dʒest/ n. 玩笑；笑话，俏皮话 vi. 开玩笑；嘲笑 vt. 嘲笑

exile/'eksaɪl/   vt. 流放, 放逐, 使流亡 n. 流放, 放逐, 流亡 长期离家[出国] 被流放者, 流亡国外者, 背井离乡者

Magister Illyrio laughed lightly through his forked beard, but Viserys did not so much as smile. “He can have her tomorrow, if he likes,” her brother said. He glanced over at Dany, and she lowered her eyes. “So long as he pays the price.”

forked/fɔːkt/ adj. 有叉的；不真诚的 v. 成叉状；用叉（或耙）干活（fork的过去分词形式）

Illyrio waved a languid hand in the air, rings glittering on his fat fingers. “I have told you, all is settled. Trust me. The khal has promised you a crown, and you shall have it.”

languid /'læŋgwɪd/ adj. 没精打采的 ；懒散的

“Yes, but when?”

“When the khal chooses,” Illyrio said. “He will have the girl first, and after they are wed he must make his procession across the plains and present her to the dosh khaleen at Vaes Dolthrak. After that, perhaps. If the omens favor war.”

  dosh khaleen 希卡林女祭司

omen/'omən/ n. 预兆；征兆（omen的复数） v. 预示（omen的第三人称单数）

Viserys seethed with impatience. “I piss on Dothraki omens. The Usurper sits on my father’s throne. How long must I wait?”

seethe/siːð/ vi. (液体)沸腾 激动, 大怒

Illyrio gave a massive shrug. “You have waited most of your life, great king. What is another few months, another few years?”

Ser Jorah, who had traveled as far east as Vaes Dothrak, nodded in agreement. “I counsel you to be patient, Your Grace. The Dothraki are true to their word, but they do things in their own time. A lesser man may beg a favor from the khal, but must never presume to berate him.”

presume/prɪ'zjuːm/ vt. 假定；推测；擅自；意味着 vi. 相信；擅自行为

berate /bɪ'reɪt/ vt. 严责；申斥

Viserys bristled. “Guard your tongue, Mormont, or I’ll have it out. I am no lesser man, I am the rightful Lord of the Seven Kingdoms. The dragon does not beg.”

bristled/'brɪsld/ adj. 多刺毛的；有刚毛的；直立的 v. 布满；直立（bristle的过去式和过去分词）

Ser Jorah lowered his eyes respectfully. Illyrio smiled enigmatically and tore a wing from the duck. Honey and grease ran over his fingers and dripped down into his beard as he nibbled at the tender meat. There are no more dragons, Dany thought, staring at her brother, though she did not dare say it aloud.

enigmatically神秘的

grease /griːs/ n. 动物油脂 油膏, 油脂 vt. 涂油脂于, 用油脂润滑

nibble/'nɪb(ə)l/ vt. & vi. 啃;一点一点地咬(吃) vt. 啃出(洞);一点一点咬出(洞) vi. (对提议、建议等)显出略有兴趣的样子 小口咬；一点点地咬 表示对…稍感兴趣 慢慢减少；蚕食 n. 啃;轻咬;显出有兴趣 很少量食物

tender/'tendə/ adj. 柔软的；温柔的；脆弱的；幼稚的；难对付的 n. 看管人；小船；偿付，清偿 vt. 使…变嫩；是…变柔软；提供，偿还 vi. 投标；变柔软

Yet that night she dreamt of one. Viserys was hitting her, hurting her. She was naked, clumsy with fear. She ran from him, but her body seemed thick and ungainly. He struck her again. She stumbled and fell. “You woke the dragon,” he screamed as he kicked her. “You woke the dragon, you woke the dragon.” Her thighs were slick with blood. She closed her eyes and whimpered. As if in answer, there was a hideous ripping sound and the crackling of some great fire. When she looked again, Viserys was gone, great columns of flame rose all around, and in the midst of them was the dragon. It turned its great head slowly. When its molten eyes found hers, she woke, shaking and covered with a fine sheen of sweat. She had never been so afraid . . . until the day of her wedding came at last.

clumsy /'klʌmzɪ/ adj. 笨拙的, 笨重的

ungainly /ʌn'geɪnlɪ/ adj. 难看的；不雅的；别扭的,笨拙的

whimper/'wɪmpə/ n. 呜咽声；啜泣声；牢骚；怨声 vi. 呜咽；啜泣；低声抱怨 vt. 呜咽着说；啜泣着说

thighθai/   n. 大腿（thigh的复数形式）

slick/slɪk/ adj. 顺利而有效的, 不费力的 圆滑的, 油滑的 光滑的, 滑溜的

whimper/'wɪmpə/ n. 呜咽声；啜泣声；牢骚；怨声 vi. 呜咽；啜泣；低声抱怨 vt. 呜咽着说；啜泣着说

hideous /'hɪdɪəs/ adj. 可怕的；丑恶的

rip  /rɪp/ vt. 撕；锯 vi. 裂开，被撕裂 n. 裂口，裂缝

crackle/'kræk(ə)l/ n. 裂纹；龟裂；爆裂声 vt. 使发爆裂声；使产生碎裂花纹 vi. 发劈啪声，发出细碎的爆裂声；表面形成碎裂花纹

molten/'məʊlt(ə)n/ adj. 熔化的；炽热的；铸造的 v. 换毛；脱毛（molt的过去分词）

The ceremony began at dawn and continued until dusk, an endless day of drinking and feasting and fighting. A mighty earthen ramp had been raised amid the grass palaces, and there Dany was seated beside Khal Drogo, above the seething sea of Dothraki. She had never seen so many people in one place, nor people so strange and frightening. The horselords might put on rich fabrics and sweet perfumes when they visited the Free Cities, but out under the open sky they kept the old ways. Men and women alike wore painted leather vests over bare chests and horsehair leggings cinched by bronze medallion belts, and the warriors greased their long braids with fat from the rendering pits. They gorged themselves on horseflesh roasted with honey and peppers, drank themselves blind on fermented mare’s milk and Illyrio’s fine wines, and spat jests at each other across the fires, their voices harsh and alien in Dany’s ears.

mighty /'maɪtɪ/ adj. 有力的；有势力的；强有力的 adv. 很；极；非常 n. 有势力的人

earthen/'ɜːθ(ə)n/ adj. 土制的；陶制的；地球上的

ramp/ræmp/ n. 斜坡，坡道；敲诈 vi. 蔓延；狂跳乱撞；敲诈 vt. 敲诈；使有斜面

horselord马王

cinch/sɪn(t)ʃ/   n. 肚带；[口]紧握；[俚]有把握的事情 vt. 紧握住；系肚带

medallion/mɪ'dæljən/ n. 大奖章,大勋章 (大奖章形的)圆形图案(饰物)

braid/breɪd/ n. 发辫,辫子 穗带,镶边 辫带 vt. 把(头发)编成辫子;把…编成穗带 (用饰带等)镶缀 编织,编结

ferment/fə'ment/   n. 酵素；发酵；动乱 vi. 发酵；动乱 vt. 使发酵；使动乱；酝酿

mare/meə/ n. 母马, 母驴

Viserys was seated just below her, splendid in a new black wool tunic with a scarlet dragon on the chest. Illyrio and Ser Jorah sat beside him. Theirs was a place of high honor, just below the khal’s own bloodriders, but Dany could see the anger in her brother’s lilac eyes. He did not like sitting beneath her, and he fumed when the slaves offered each dish first to the khal and his bride, and served him from the portions they refused. He could do nothing but nurse his resentment, so nurse it he did, his mood growing blacker by the hour at each insult to his person.

splendid/'splendɪd/ adj. 辉煌的；极好的；灿烂的；杰出的

tunic/'tjuːnɪk/ n. 束腰外衣；[生]被膜

scarlet /'skɑːlɪt/ adj. 罪孽深重的；淫荡的；鲜红色的；深红的 n. 猩红色；绯红色；鲜红色布；红衣

bloodrider血盟卫

lilac /'laɪlək/ n. 淡紫色；丁香花；紫丁香 adj. 淡紫色的

resentment/rɪ'zentm(ə)nt/ n. (因受虐待而)愤恨,不满,怨恨

insult/ɪn'sʌlt/ vt. 侮辱, 冒犯 n. 侮辱, 辱骂, 侮辱性的言论

Dany had never felt so alone as she did seated in the midst of that vast horde. Her brother had told her to smile, and so she smiled until her face ached and the tears came unbidden to her eyes. She did her best to hide them, knowing how angry Viserys would be if he saw her crying, terrified of how Khal Drogo might react. Food was brought to her, steaming joints of meat and thick black sausages and Dothraki blood pies, and later fruits and sweetgrass stews and delicate pastries from the kitchens of Pentos, but she waved it all away. Her stomach was a roil, and she knew she could keep none of it down.

horde/hɔːd/ n. 移动着的一大群

sausage/'sɒsɪdʒ/ n. 香肠；腊肠；装香肠的碎肉

pie /paɪ/ n. 馅饼, 派

delicate/'delɪkət/ adj. 微妙的；易碎的；清淡可口的；柔和的；精美的，雅致的；纤弱的

pastries/'peistriz/ n. 甜点；点心；酥皮糕点（pastry的复数）

roil /rɒɪl/ vt. 搅混(液体) 使烦恼,使不安；使生气

There was no one to talk to. Khal Drogo shouted commands and jests down to his bloodriders, and laughed at their replies, but he scarcely glanced at Dany beside him. They had no common language. Dothraki was incomprehensible to her, and the khal knew only a few words of the bastard Valyrian of the Free Cities, and none at all of the Common Tongue of the Seven Kingdoms. She would even have welcomed the conversation of Illyrio and her brother, but they were too far below to hear her.

incomprehensible/ˌɪnkɒmprɪ'hensɪb(ə)l/ adj. 费解的；不可思议的；无限的

So she sat in her wedding silks, nursing a cup of honeyed wine, afraid to eat, talking silently to herself. I am blood of the dragon, she told herself. I am Daenerys Stormborn, Princess of Dragonstone, of the blood and seed of Aegon the Conqueror.

The sun was only a quarter of the way up the sky when she saw her first man die. Drums were beating as some of the women danced for the khal. Drogo watched without expression, but his eyes followed their movements, and from time to time he would toss down a bronze medallion for the women to fight over.

toss down丢出

The warriors were watching too. One of them finally stepped into the circle, grabbed a dancer by the arm, pushed her down to the ground, and mounted her right there, as a stallion mounts a mare. Illyrio had told her that might happen. “The Dothraki mate like the animals in their herds. There is no privacy in a khalasar, and they do not understand sin or shame as we do.”

stallion/'stæljən/   n. 种马；成年公马

Dany looked away from the coupling, frightened when she realized what was happening, but a second warrior stepped forward, and a third, and soon there was no way to avert her eyes. Then two men seized the same woman. She heard a shout, saw a shove, and in the blink of an eye the arakhs were out, long razor-sharp blades, half sword and half scythe. A dance of death began as the warriors circled and slashed, leaping toward each other, whirling the blades around their heads, shrieking insults at each clash. No one made a move to interfere.

scythe/saɪð/ n. (长柄)大镰刀

slash/slæʃ/ vt. & vi. 挥砍; 鞭打; 割破 削减 vt. 严厉地批评[谴责]

shriek /ʃriːk/ vt. & vi. 尖叫 n. 尖叫声

It ended as quickly as it began. The arakhs shivered together faster than Dany could follow, one man missed a step, the other swung his blade in a flat arc. Steel bit into flesh just above the Dothraki’s waist, and opened him from backbone to belly button, spilling his entrails into the dust. As the loser died, the winner took hold of the nearest woman-not even the one they had been quarreling over-and had her there and then. Slaves carried off the body, and the dancing resumed.

entrails/'entreɪlz/   n. 内脏,肠,(物体的)内部

Magister Illyrio had warned Dany about this too. “A Dothraki wedding without at least three deaths is deemed a dull affair,” he had said. Her wedding must have been especially blessed; before the day was over, a dozen men had died.

As the hours passed, the terror grew in Dany, until it was all she could do not to scream. She was afraid of the Dothraki, whose ways seemed alien and monstrous, as if they were beasts in human skins and not true men at all. She was afraid of her brother, of what he might do if she failed him. Most of all, she was afraid of what would happen tonight under the stars, when her brother gave her up to the hulking giant who sat drinking beside her with a face as still and cruel as a bronze mask.

terror /'terə/ n. 恐怖; 恐怖活动 引起恐怖的人[事] 讨厌的人

beast /biːst/ n. 野兽；畜生，人面兽心的人

hulking/'hʌlkɪŋ/ adj. 笨重的；粗陋的

I am the blood of the dragon, she told herself again.

When at last the sun was low in the sky, Khal Drogo clapped his hands together, and the drums and the shouting and feasting came to a sudden halt. Drogo stood and pulled Dany to her feet beside him. It was time for her bride gifts.

halt /hɔːlt/ vi. 停止；踌躇，犹豫；立定 n. 停止；立定；休息 vt. 使停止；使立定

And after the gifts, she knew, after the sun had gone down, it would be time for the first ride and the consummation of her marriage. Dany tried to put the thought aside, but it would not leave her. She hugged herself to try to keep from shaking.

consummation /kɒnsə'meɪʃ(ə)n/   n. 完成;圆满;完美,极致

Her brother Viserys gifted her with three handmaids. Dany knew they had cost him nothing; Illyrio no doubt had provided the girls. Irri and Jhiqui were copper-skinned Dothraki with black hair and almondshaped eyes, Doreah a fair-haired, blue-eyed Lysene girl. “These are no common servants, sweet sister,” her brother told her as they were brought forward one by one. “Illyrio and I selected them personally for you. Irri will teach you riding, Jhiqui the Dothraki tongue, and Doreah will instruct you in the womanly arts of love.” He smiled thinly. “She’s very good, Illyrio and I can both swear to that.”

handmaid /'hændmeid/ n. 侍女；女佣人

Ser Jorah Mormont apologized for his gift. “It is a small thing, my princess, but all a poor exile could afford,” he said as he laid a small stack of old books before her. They were histories and songs of the Seven Kingdoms, she saw, written in the Common Tongue. She thanked him with all her heart.

Magister Illyrio murmured a command, and four burly slaves hurried forward, bearing between them a great cedar chest bound in bronze. When she opened it, she found piles of the finest velvets and damasks the Free Cities could produce . . . and resting on top, nestled in the soft cloth, three huge eggs. Dany gasped. They were the most beautiful things she had ever seen, each different than the others, patterned in such rich colors that at first she thought they were crusted with jewels, and so large it took both of her hands to hold one. She lifted it delicately, expecting that it would be made of some fine porcelain or delicate enamel, or even blown glass, but it was much heavier than that, as if it were all of solid stone. The surface of the shell was covered with tiny scales, and as she turned the egg between her fingers, they shimmered like polished metal in the light of the setting sun. One egg was a deep green, with burnished bronze flecks that came and went depending on how Dany turned it. Another was pale cream streaked with gold. The last was black, as black as a midnight sea, yet alive with scarlet ripples and swirls. “What are they?” she asked, her voice hushed and full of wonder.

murmur /'mɜːmə/ n. 低沉、连续而不清的声音 低语声 怨言, 嘀咕 vt. & vi. 小声说 vi. 发出连续而低沉的声音 私下低声抱怨

burly /'bɜːlɪ/ adj. (指人)魁梧的, 健壮的

cedar /'siːdə/ n. 雪松；香柏；西洋杉木

velvet /'velvɪt/ n. 天鹅绒，丝绒；天鹅绒似的东西 adj. 天鹅绒的

damask/'dæməsk/ n. 锦缎；花缎 adj. 缎子的；粉红色的 vt. 使织出花纹 vi. 织花纹

nestle/'nes(ə)l/ vi. 舒适地坐定；偎依；半隐半现地处于 vt. 抱；安置

crusted/'krʌstɪd/ adj. 生了外皮的,(酒)有沉淀的,陈年的,古老的

porcelain/'pɔːs(ə)lɪn/ n. 瓷, 瓷器

enamel/ɪ'næm(ə)l/ n. 搪瓷; 珐琅; 釉药 瓷漆 (牙齿的)珐琅质 vt. 涂瓷釉于; 给…上瓷漆; 给…上彩饰

shell /ʃel/ n. 壳，贝壳；外形；炮弹 vi. 剥落；[计]设定命令行解释器的位置 vt. 剥皮；炮轰

scale/skeɪl/ n. 刻度；比例；数值范围；天平；规模；鳞 vi. 攀登；衡量；生水垢；剥落 vt. 攀登；测量；刮鳞；依比例决定 

burnish/'bɜːnɪʃ/ vt. 擦亮；使…光亮；将…打磨光亮 n. 光泽；抛光；闪闪发光 vi. 磨光发亮

bronze/brɒnz/ n. 青铜 青铜色, 赤褐色 青铜艺术品, 铜牌

fleck/flek/ n. 斑点；微粒，小片 vt. 使起斑点；使有斑驳

streak  /striːk/ n. 条纹，线条；倾向 vi. 飞跑，疾驶；加上条纹 vt. 飞跑，疾驰；加条纹于

“Dragon’s eggs, from the Shadow Lands beyond Asshai,” said Magister Illyrio. “The eons have turned them to stone, yet still they burn bright with beauty.”

eon/'iːən/ n. 永世；无数的年代；[地]极长时期

“I shall treasure them always.” Dany had heard tales of such eggs, but she had never seen one, nor thought to see one. It was a truly magnificent gift, though she knew that Illyrio could afford to be lavish. He had collected a fortune in horses and slaves for his part in selling her to Khal Drogo.

lavish/'lævɪʃ/ adj. 浪费的；丰富的；大方的 vt. 浪费；慷慨给予；滥用

The khal’s bloodriders offered her the traditional three weapons, and splendid weapons they were. Haggo gave her a great leather whip with a silver handle; Cohollo a magnificent arakh chased in gold, and Qotho a double-curved dragonbone bow taller than she was. Magister Illyrio and Ser Jorah had taught her the traditional refusals for these offerings. “This is a gift worthy of a great warrior, O blood of my blood, and I am but a woman. Let my lord husband bear these in my stead.” And so Khal Drogo too received his “bride gifts.”

weapon/'wepən/ n. 武装切换；斗争工具；武器（weapon的复数） v. 武装（weapon的第三人称单数）

whip /wɪp/ vt. 抽打；煽动；搅打（蛋，奶油）；[口]彻底击败 n. 鞭子；抽打；车夫；搅拌器 vi. 抽打；急走；拍击

refusal /rɪ'fjuːz(ə)l/ n. 拒绝；优先取舍权；推却；取舍权

Other gifts she was given in plenty by other Dothraki: slippers and jewels and silver rings for her hair, medallion belts and painted vests and soft furs, sandsilks and jars of scent, needles and feathers and tiny bottles of purple glass, and a gown made from the skin of a thousand mice. “A handsome gift, Khaleesi,” Magister Illyrio said of the last, after he had told her what it was. “Most lucky.” The gifts mounted up around her in great piles, more gifts than she could possibly imagine, more gifts than she could want or use.

And last of all, Khal Drogo brought forth his own bride gift to her. An expectant hush rippled out from the center of the camp as he left her side, growing until it had swallowed the whole khalasar. When he returned, the dense press of Dothraki gift-givers parted before him, and he led the horse to her.

ripple/'rɪp(ə)l/ n. 波纹；涟漪；涟波 vi. 起潺潺声 vt. 在…上形成波痕

dense/dens/ adj. 浓厚的；稠密的；愚钝的

She was a young filly, spirited and splendid. Dany knew just enough about horses to know that this was no ordinary animal. There was something about her that took the breath away. She was grey as the winter sea, with a mane like silver smoke.

Hesitantly she reached out and stroked the horse’s neck, ran her fingers through the silver of her mane. Khal Drogo said something in Dothraki and Magister Illyrio translated. “Silver for the silver of your hair, the khal says.”

“She’s beautiful,” Dany murmured.

“She is the pride of the khalasar, “ Illyrio said. “Custom decrees that the khaleesi must ride a mount worthy of her place by the side of the Khal “

Drogo stepped forward and put his hands on her waist. He lifted her up as easily as if she were a child and set her on the thin Dothraki saddle, so much smaller than the ones she was used to. Dany sat there uncertain for a moment. No one had told her about this part. “What should I do?” she asked Illyrio.

waist [weist] n. 腰，腰部

It was Ser Jorah Mormont who answered. “Take the reins and ride. You need not go far.”

rein/reɪn/ n. 缰绳；驾驭；统治；支配 vt. 勒住；驾驭；控制 vi. 勒住马

Nervously Dany gathered the reins. in her hands and slid her feet into the short stirrups. She was only a fair rider; she had spent far more time traveling by ship and wagon and palanquin than by horseback. Praying that she would not fall off and disgrace herself, she gave the filly the lightest and most timid touch with her knees.

stirrup/'stɪrəp/ n. [机]马镫；镫形物；[建]箍筋

palanquin/ˌpælən'kiːn/ n. 轿子;肩舆

And for the first time in hours, she forgot to be afraid. Or perhaps it was for the first time ever.

The silver-grey filly moved with a smooth and silken gait, and the crowd parted for her, every eye upon them. Dany found herself moving faster than she had intended, yet somehow it was exciting rather than terrifying. The horse broke into a trot, and she smiled. Dothraki scrambled to clear a path. The slightest pressure with her legs, the lightest touch on the reins, and the filly responded. She sent it into a gallop, and now the Dothraki were hooting and laughing and shouting at her as they jumped out of her way. As she turned to ride back, a fire pit loomed ahead, directly in her path. They were hemmed in on either side, with no room to stop. A daring she had never known filled Daenerys then, and she gave the filly her head.

scramble/'skræmb(ə)l/ vi. 快速爬行, 匍匐前进; 攀登 争夺, 争抢 (军事飞机)紧急起飞 vt. (用黄油)炒蛋 扰频或倒频使(电话通话等)只可由有特殊接收器的人收听 混杂; 把…搅乱 n. 爬行, 攀登 争夺, 抢夺

gallop/'gæləp/ n. 疾驰；飞奔 vi. 急速进行；飞驰；急急忙忙地说 vt. 使飞跑；迅速运输

hoot/huːt/ n. 猫头鹰叫声;汽笛响声;汽车喇叭声 表示蔑视不满的叫喊, 冷笑 毫不在乎 vt. & vi. (使)作汽笛声响, 作汽车喇叭声

The silver horse leapt the flames as if she had wings.

When she pulled up before Magister Illyrio, she said, “Tell Khal Drogo that he has given me the wind.” The fat Pentoshi stroked his yellow beard as he repeated her words in Dothraki, and Dany saw her new husband smile for the first time.

The last sliver of sun vanished behind the high walls of Pentos to the west just then. Dany had lost all track of time. Khal Drogo commanded his bloodriders to bring forth his own horse, a lean red stallion. As the khal was saddling the horse, Viserys slid close to Dany on her silver, dug his fingers into her leg, and said, “Please him, sweet sister, or I swear, you will see the dragon wake as it has never woken before.”

saddling/'sæd(ə)l/ n. 鞍，鞍状物；车座；拖具 vt. 使负担；装以马鞍；承受 vi. 跨上马鞍

The fear came back to her then, with her brother’s words. She felt like a child once more, only thirteen and all alone, not ready for what was about to happen to her.

They rode out together as the stars came out, leaving the khalasar and the grass palaces behind. Khal Drogo spoke no word to her, but drove his stallion at a hard trot through the gathering dusk. The tiny silver bells in his long braid rang softly as he rode. “I am the blood of the dragon,” she whispered aloud as she followed, trying to keep her courage up. “I am the blood of the dragon. I am the blood of the dragon.” The dragon was never afraid.

Afterward she could not say how far or how long they had ridden, but it was full dark when they stopped at a grassy place beside a small stream. Drogo swung off his horse and lifted her down from hers. She felt as fragile as glass in his hands, her limbs as weak as water. She stood there helpless and trembling in her wedding silks while he secured the horses, and when he turned to look at her, she began to cry.

Khal Drogo stared at her tears, his face strangely empty of expression. “No,” he said. He lifted his hand and rubbed away the tears roughly with a callused thumb.

“You speak the Common Tongue,” Dany said in wonder.

“No,” he said again.

Perhaps he had only that word, she thought, but it was one word more than she had known he had, and somehow it made her feel a little better. Drogo touched her hair lightly, sliding the silver-blond strands between his fingers and murmuring softly in Dothraki. Dany did not understand the words, yet there was warmth in the tone, a tenderness she had never expected from this man.

He put his finger under her chin and lifted her head, so she was looking up into his eyes. Drogo towered over her as he towered over everyone. Taking her lightly under the arms, he lifted her and seated her on a rounded rock beside the stream. Then he sat on the ground facing her, legs crossed beneath him, their faces finally at a height. “No,” he said.

“Is that the only word you know?” she asked him.

Drogo did not reply. His long heavy braid was coiled in the dirt beside him. He pulled it over his right shoulder and began to remove the bells from his hair, one by one. After a moment Dany leaned forward to help. When they were done, Drogo gestured. She understood. Slowly, carefully, she began to undo his braid.

undo/ʌn'duː/ vt. 解开；取消；破坏；扰乱 vi. 撤消

It took a long time. All the while he sat there silently, watching her. When she was done, he shook his head, and his hair spread out behind him like a river of darkness, oiled and gleaming. She had never seen hair so long, so black, so thick.

Then it was his turn. He began to undress her.

His fingers were deft and strangely tender. He removed her silks one by one, carefully, while Dany sat unmoving, silent, looking at his eyes. When he bared her small breasts, she could not help herself. She averted her eyes and covered herself with her hands. “No,” Drogo said. He pulled her hands away from her breasts, gently but firmly, then lifted her face again to make her look at him. “No,” he repeated.

deft/deft/ adj. 灵巧的；机敏的；敏捷熟练的

tender/'tendə/ adj. 柔软的；温柔的；脆弱的；幼稚的；难对付的 n. 看管人；小船；偿付，清偿 vt. 使…变嫩；是…变柔软；提供，偿还 vi. 投标；变柔软

“No,” she echoed back at him.

He stood her up then and pulled her close to remove the last of her silks. The night air was chilly on her bare skin. She shivered, and gooseflesh covered her arms and legs. She was afraid of what would come next, but for a while nothing happened. Khal Drogo sat with his legs crossed, looking at her, drinking in her body with his eyes.

After a while he began to touch her. Lightly at first, then harder. She could sense the fierce strength in his hands, but he never hurt her. He held her hand in his own and brushed her fingers, one by one. He ran a hand gently down her leg. He stroked her face, tracing the curve of her ears, running a finger gently around her mouth. He put both hands in her hair and combed it with his fingers. He turned her around, massaged her shoulders, slid a knuckle down the path of her spine.

It seemed as if hours passed before his hands finally went to her breasts. He stroked the soft skin underneath until it tingled. He circled her nipples with his thumbs, pinched them between thumb and forefinger, then began to pull at her, very lightly at first, then more insistently, until her nipples stiffened and began to ache.

He stopped then, and drew her down onto his lap. Dany was flushed and breathless, her heart fluttering in her chest. He cupped her face in his huge hands and looked into his eyes. “No?” he said, and she knew it was a question.

She took his hand and moved it down to the wetness between her thighs. “Yes,” she whispered as she put his finger inside her.